Welcome to the Sixties
by FanFiction by Jen
Summary: When a group of friends wake up in a strange house in the wrong era, many things can happen. "Jena, why are you surrounded with beer bottles and boxers?"
1. Chapter 1

**Jena POV**

"Hey guys, let's watch a movie," Angela said while holding up several 60s themed movies. I crawled closer to my friend and took a better look at the selection.

"Guys, I'm making the executive decision to watch _The Outsiders_," I said. My friends groaned, they knew I was obsessed with the book and movie, and knew every line by heart. However, they agreed. After all, it was my birthday. I put in the DVD and Emily grabbed more snacks off the table.

As we were leaning back into our pillows, I took a good look at my friends. It was funny how different we were.

Angela had shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. She was probably about 5' 4". She was currently wearing a turquoise silk pajama set and fluffy pink slippers. She was into theater and choir, excelling at both. She was probably the most logical out of all us, and I knew I could always go to her if I needed advice. Ang could be my twin, and many people have mistaken us for sisters. It isn't that hard, as we're never separated for long.

I turned my attention to Emily. She had honey brown hair that probably fell a couple inches below her collarbone and brown eyes. She was the tallest of all of us at 5' 6". Her outfit consisted of old sweats and an oversized t-shirt. Her main interests were anime and video games. She was a very sarcastic person, and I had learned not to take half of what she said seriously.

Next to Emily was Rachel. She also had brown hair that hung a couple inches above her shoulders and hazel eyes. She was the shortest of our group at 5' 2". She was wearing black shots and a _Harry Potter_ t-shirt. Rachel was an avid reader, enjoyed video games, and was a huge anime fan. She was a very loyal friend, and was always ready to listen to us when we were having trouble. Sometimes I think she was the only thing that kept me from running out go the room in sophomore chemistry class.

I thought about myself and how I fit into the group. I was 5' 3" with long brown hair that fell below my elbows and dark brown eyes. I was wearing pink plaid pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. I enjoyed reading, I live for music, and I'm into dancing. My friends all say that I'm a good listener and they feel comfortable telling me things. It's not an unknown fact that I'm probably the clumsiest person ever to walk on this earth.

"Uhhh, Jena? Could you stop staring at us? It's a bit creepy," Emily complained while leaning away from me.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about some things," I replied. I turned my attention to the television where Dally was harassing Cherry at the movies. We all laughed when he fell out of his chair, and we were rolling on the floor when Cherry threw the coke in his face.

"You know what I want to do?" Angela sputtered through her tears of laughter.

"What?" I asked her, giggling.

"I really want to sucker punch someone. You know, when a weirdo asks for a kiss and instead you kiss your fist and punch them," she explained, still laughing.

"Angela! How unladylike!" I mock scolded. However, Angela was never shy about telling someone exactly where to go and it wouldn't surprise me if she did sucker punch someone one day.

By the end of the movie, we were half-asleep. I tuned off the television and dimmed the lights. As I was falling asleep, I couldn't help but wish I lived in the 60s.


	2. Chapter 2

**Jena POV**

The next morning I woke up on the couch. _Hmmm… I must've slept walked again._ I felt around for my glasses, but couldn't find them. _Guess I won't be seeing for a while._

I heard movement as Angela began to wake up.

"Jena?" She mumbled, sounding slightly confused.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Why are you surrounded by beer bottles?" _Beer bottles? Did my parents have a party while we were downstairs?_

"Maybe my parents were having a party. They often do that when I have friends over."

"Why are there boxers everywhere?" _What?! That's strange, unless my brother decided to try pranking us…_

"Maybe Christopher is trying to freak us out. Have you seen my glasses?"

"No. Want to go look for them?"

"Please?" Angela and I got up and carefully stepped over bottles, underwear, and _people? Oh, right, just Rachel and Emily. That's okay._ I slipped on a piece of newspaper, and fell down with an alarming crash. I wouldn't have been surprised if the whole neighborhood had heard it.

"What's going on down there?" I heard a male voice boom. I squeaked in terror as Angela and I tried to hide from whoever was coming. I settled for hiding behind the couch and Angela quickly covered the other girls in underwear before hiding herself behind the overstuffed armchair.

"Whoever you are, you have to the count of three to get out here and explain before I call the cops," The man boomed again.

I crawled back out from behind the couch, and Angela guiltily came out from behind the chair, kicking the underwear off of Rachel and Emily on her way over.

"I have a feeling this isn't my house anymore," I stage-whispered to Angela.

"Damn right it ain't. Who are you?" The man said, probably getting angry about waking up to find four girls sitting in his living room. His face was etched into a frown, and he was glaring at me.

"I'm Jena and that's Angela, Emily, and Rachel," I said while gesturing to the other girls. I decided it would be best to deal with this myself because I was least likely to insult anyone.

"Would you like to explain how you got into my house?" I wasn't sure if he was calming down or getting more angry. Rachel and Emily woke up, and trudged towards Ang.

"I'm not sure," I replied truthfully. The man turned deep red, his frown growing.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU'RE NOT SURE'? YOU GOT IN HERE SOMEHOW!" This time I knew he was getting very angry. I shrunk back a little and decided to not say anything.

"She means exactly what she said. Last night we were watching a movie and fell asleep at her house. Today, we woke up here," Angela said for me, her eyes wide. I could tell she was getting mad ... or scared.

I heard another set of foot steps clamoring down the stairs.

"Darry? What's going on?" Even without my glasses I could tell that whoever walked downstairs was handsome. Then I began thinking. _Darry? The only person I've ever known to have that name was in _The Outsiders.

"I found these girls in our living room," Darry replied, trying not lo lash out.

"Relax Dare. I let them in. They were walking around alone last night and I thought it would be better in they stayed over here for a while," The other boy said while scratching his elbow, obviously lying for our benefit. Darry raised his eyebrows at us, but seemed to buy it. Angela nudged me, confused. I just nudged her back, trying to tell her to play along.

"I guess that was the right thing to do, but please tell me next time, Soda," Darry replied, calming down, "Sorry about that girls. I just freaked a little." That was probably the best apology we were going to get, so I was going to take it.

"It's okay. I would too," I said, blushing a bit. Then I got an idea. If I just spoke to Darry and Sodapop, I have to be in _The Outsiders_.

"Uh… What's the date?" I asked, trying not to seem strange.

"July 19, 1965," Sodapop replied.

"Thanks!" I said as the girls were pulling me away to the bathroom. I felt their fear and tension as if it were my own.

"Jena, it's 1965. What are we going to do? How are we going to get back from our time?" Angela asked me, panicking.

"I don't know. I guess we'll have to ride it out. Let's enjoy ourselves as best we can for the time being," I told her, trying to calm her down. I attempted to smile so I could at least appear less afraid.

We walked out of bathroom and sat down at the table, silently plotting on how to fix things.


	3. Chapter 3

**Jena POV**

_How did we end up back in time? Isn't that something that only happens in weird dreams and movies? That's it! I have to be dreaming!_ I pinched my thigh, and was disappointed when I felt pain.

I was so busy wondering what on earth happened that I didn't even notice the plate of food in front of me.

"Woah! Looks like the Curtis's were busy last night," I heard a strange voice exclaim. I looked up and saw a man with rusty sideburns walking towards the table we were sitting at. _Two-Bit!_

Angela elbowed me yet again. I could tell she was getting uncomfortable now that more people of the male species were showing up. I, on the other hand, was cool and collected. I had the most experience with boys than the other three combined, so I had a better idea what to expect. I also memorized _The Outsiders_ so I had an idea what the characters were going to be like.

Two-Bit turned to me. "Are you going to eat that?" I looked down at my plate of eggs and cake and passed it to him. I wasn't really that hungry.

"So what brings you here to this _lovely_ household?" Two-Bit asked us.

"It's a long story," I told him, hoping he wouldn't ask anything more.

"I'm sure it isn't that long," Two-Bit said, still trying to press for the story, "So which of them did you girls bang?" I blushed and Angela covered her face.

"All of them," Emily joked.

"I see," Two-Bit replied, continuing the joke, "And you guys didn't think to call good ol' Two-Bit over for a little fun?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Angela was at the point where I'm sure she would crawl under the table.

"Sorry, buddy. I don't do gingers," Emily told him, laughing.

"Oh darn. Too bad I don't do brunettes or else we would've had a ball." Two-Bit said while staring at Emily.

"Oh darn," Emily said while giggling.

I couldn't believe my eyes! The person I would least expect to gain a boyfriend out of this, may just be the first one to do so. I looked over at Angela, and could tell she was thinking the same thing. Rachel was eying Emily as if she were a foreign object.

"I think it's time we left, guys. I don't want to over stay our welcome," I finally spoke up.

"Jena! We're still in our pajamas," Angela complained.

"We're not going to find clothes here," I replied as I began making my way towards the door.

"What about your glasses?" Angela asked me. I stopped short.

"Ummmmm… I guess I'll have to be blind," I replied.

"I'm not dealing with a blind Jena again. Remember the last time you didn't wear your glasses? You killed your knee and couldn't walk on it for a week. You still have problems with it," Angela told me.

"Fine. What am I supposed to do? They could be anywhere," I said beginning to feel annoyed.

"They could be anywhere, or they could be right here on the windowsill. Are these yours?" Sodapop asked me while handing me my glasses. I didn't even notice him entering the room.

"Yeah. Thanks!" I exclaimed while putting them on, "It's great to be able to see."

We left the Curtis house after Sodapop dug up some of his mother's old clothes for us to borrow.

"What are we going to do now?" Angela asked me.

"We're going to get jobs and buy an apartment. I have a feeling we may be here longer than we think," I replied while walking into town.


	4. Chapter 4

**Angela POV**

_I can't believe this! Jena isn't even trying to figure out how to get us out of here. It looks as if we're going to stay here long term, she's even making us save up to buy an apartment. All I want to do is go back home and be with my family and friends, but as usual Jena is too laid back to do anything about a bad situation. I love her dearly, believe me I do. She's more of a sister to me than my own sister, but she just drives me up a wall when she pulls stunts like this._

"Earth to Angela," Jena was trying to get my attention.

"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"What kind of a job do you want?" Jena asked me.

"Oh, um, I don't know. I've always wanted to work in an ice cream place," I replied.

"Dairy Queen's hiring. Why don't you apply?" Jena asked me as we passed by.

"Okay. If I have to," I walked to the counter and asked for an application. The girl there handed it to me without a question. I filled it out, hoping for our sake that I would get the job. When I handed it back, the manage popped out and asked me into his office.

"You're the only one to apply since we put up that sign weeks ago. Would it be okay if we just gave you the job now?"

"Sure," I replied, surprised that he would give me the job so quickly.

"Are you still in school?" He asked me. I was taken aback, and had to think for a little. Technically I still went to school back home, but I don't think that applies in this situation. I shook my head.

"Good. Then what would you think of working the midnight shift Monday through Thursday for $1.15 an hour?" _Ewww_ I knew that I was probably only earning minimum wage, and I didn't like the idea of working 9 pm to 5 am, but I guess I didn't have a choice.

"That's fine," I told him.

I left the restaurant and walked back to the girls.

"I got a job," I said, not at all excited.

"That's great!" Jena exclaimed, then she took a better look at me, "What's wrong?"

"I'm working the midnight shift for minimum wage," I replied acidly.

"Ugh, that sucks, but you have to start somewhere," Jena said, trying to help us think positively.

"Yeah, I guess." _Jena, what are you thinking?_

As we continued walking, I couldn't help but hope that things would be better for everyone else.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry about the late chapters, I went out of town unexpectedly so I couldn't update. Enjoy!**

**Rachel POV**

_I can do this. I've read enough books to figure out how to fit in almost anywhere. I have to admit, it's helpful to have Jena around to nudge us in the right direction. I wonder what was going on with Emily and that guy earlier…_

"Rachel, they have a job opening for teens at the library. Why don't you go in and apply?" Jena asked me.

"Okay," I replied, climbing the stairs to my haven. I love the library because of all the books. There was never enough time in a day to read all the ones I wanted to.

As I walked to the information desk, I spotted a young boy. He must've been in his early teens, something about him looked familiar. He was sitting behind the desk reading a book.

"Hi. I would like to apply for a job," I told him.

"Here's an application, but the librarians told me just to pencil people in a time slot," He told me while handing me a single sheet of paper.

"Thanks," I said while taking the paper and a pen. I decided to attempt some small talk with the boy. He seemed really nice.

"Do you work here?" I asked him.

"No. I just volunteer. I love being surrounded by books," he told me.

"Me too! I-I mean, I like books too," I stuttered feeling stupid.

"What's your name?" He asked me.

"Rachel… Rachel Tuba," I replied.

"Okay Rachel. Would you mind working from 2 to 4 Mondays through Fridays for $3.50 an hour?"

"That sounds great…" I trailed off, not knowing his name.

"Ponyboy," He prompted.

"Yeah. Thanks Ponyboy," I said while walking away.

"Wait Rachel!" Ponyboy called. I turned back to see him motioning for me to come over.

"What is it Ponyboy?" I was concerned and curious.

"Weren't you one of the girls who woke up in my house this morning?" He asked me. I froze, not sure what to say, was he going to believe Sodapop's lie, or was he going to yell at me like Darry did?

"Yeah. Sorry if we woke you guys up,"

"It's fine. Why don't you stop by our place for dinner tonight? I heard one of your friends and Two-Bit had a ball this morning," He asked me out of no where. I wasn't sure what to say, but based on Jena's outlook on what we're going to do, and how little money we're making, I had a feeling this may be the last good meal we were going to have for a while.

"Sure. That sounds great," I replied, hoping Darry wouldn't be mad at us for walking into his home again. This time I walked out of the library and down the stairs without being interrupted.

"Hey! How'd it go?" Jena asked me.

"I got the job," I told her, "I also got us dinner plans for tonight." The other girls stared at me as if I turned into a giant mosquito.

"Ponyboy invited us back to his house for dinner tonight," I explained quickly.

"Really? I don't believe this," Jena said while pacing.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked her, obviously in a better mood than earlier.

"Nothing's _wrong_, but I sure as hell don't want to face Darry again after what happened this morning," Jena replied.

"Well, I kinda all ready accepted the offer. I assumed it would be the last good meal we'll have in a while," I explained sheepishly.

"Well, I'm going with Rachel," Emily said, backing me up.

"I'll go, I guess," Angela said. We all stared at Jena. If she wasn't going to go, we all weren't going to go.

"I guess I'll go. Maybe we can ask about a place to stay until we buy an apartment," Jena, ever practical, finally decided. Only she would think about house hunting while eating dinner with almost strangers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Emily POV**

_Oh Jena, you seem to think everything is so easy. It's one thing to be optimistic, but it's another to be deluded. Then again, I just met an amazing guy with an awesome sense of humor. I feel like he really gets me, you know? Stop it Emily! You're not Jena. Leave the boy craziness to her. But he was just amazing. I wish I knew more about him._

"Emily, they have a help wanted sign at this clothing store. You should apply," Jena told me. _Clothing? That's Jena's thing. She's crazy about clothes and makeup, I on the other hand, only wore what was comfortable. I could all ready see Jena asking me for employee discounts on clothing. However, It was a job, and we needed the money._

"Jena, Are you sure you don't want this job?" I asked, hoping to get out of it.

"I'm not really good at sales, and I want a more creative job, you know?" She replied.

"If you say so," I told her as I was walking into the store. I took a quick look around and realized I was in some thrift store. One of the dresses I saw was priced at 45 cents.

"I would like to apply for a job," I told the lady at the counter. She was an older woman, probably in her 70s, with white hair tied up in a ponytail and a pair of glasses hanging around her neck from a chain. She smiled at me and ushered me into the back room.

"I just can't run this store by myself anymore now that my daughters are all grown up and married with children of their own. I had this sign posted for months, but no one ever asked about the job. No teenager ever wants to be seen here it seems," she finished sadly.

"I really need the job," I replied lamely.

"I'll bet you do. Do you still go to school?" She asked me.

"No."

"Well, then what do you think are fair hours?"

"I don't know. I've never had a job before."

"I think I'll have you working here from noon to five Monday through Saturday. I still need someone for mornings though."

"That's great! I actually know someone who may be able to do mornings. May I bring her in?"

"Sure, right after we discuss your pay. I was thinking of paying you $5 an hour." My eyes widened. _$5 an hour? That's a lot of money for this time period!_

"That sounds awesome! Thanks a million!"

"No problem dearie. Make sure to bring your friend in soon."

"She's right outside. I can bring her in now if you's like."

"That sounds delightful."

I raced out of the store to talk to my friends.

"I got the job!" I exclaimed, "And I found a job for you too, Jena!"

"You did?" Jena asked bewildered.

"Yeah. Come inside with me," I said while pulling on Jena's arm. She followed me and I brought her to the woman at the counter.

"This is my friend, Jena," I introduced her to the woman at the counter, hoping that Jena could get the job.

"Nice to meet you," said the woman, "my name's Ethel. Your friend here said you were a good worker and you needed a job. How would you like working here Mondays through Saturdays from eight in the morning till noon for $5 an hour?" Jena was speechless, and I could tell a million thoughts were running through her mind at once. I only hoped she would be okay with this job, just a couple minutes ago she didn't want to work here.

"I think that sounds great!" Jena finally replied. I exhaled a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"I'll see you girls tomorrow then," Ethel called as we were leaving.

I didn't even notice where we were walking next, as my mind immediately drifted back to that boy. I whistled happily, half-listening to my friends planning our new life._ Maybe I could get used to living in the sixties. Everybody seemed so nice._


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! I just want to give a special thanks to my beta writteninchocolate for helping me through this chapter.**

**I enjoyed reading your reviews for my other chapters, so if you have a minute make sure to tell me what you like or don't like in this chapter.**

**Thanks everyone, and happy reading!**

**Jena POV**

"What kind of apartment do you want to get, Jena?"

Rachel was in an awfully good mood ever since she walked out of that library. Her job couldn't be _that_ awesome.

I was pleased that everybody had a job, but I was still concerned about our money situation. I had no idea how much an apartment would cost, and I could only hope no one would need to take another job to cover our expenses. If we had to, though, I'm sure I could take it on. I was only working mornings so I could take on an evening shift as a waitress somewhere.

"I'm not sure," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck. I didn't realize how hard living on my own could be. Even with three other people pitching in money, I doubt we'd have the life I'd always dreamed of.

"I want a big kitchen so we can have people over and cook," Emily finally spoke up while looking at a display of cooking utensils in a nearby store's window. She had been distant from us all morning, never quite in out conversations.

"People like Two-Bit?" I couldn't help but tease.

"That was his name?" Emily replied dreamily. She stared into space with her mouth parted. I knew I wasn't going to get another response for a while, so I turned to Angela.

"What do you want in our apartment?"

"I want a huge living room for movie nights," She told me excitedly. She was almost skipping down the sidewalk, which was an extreme change in her mood since after she got her job. I knew she was thinking about sleepovers at my place where we would all sprawl on the floor and watch one of our favorite movies.

"I want to be by nature," Rachel said quietly. She was walking slowly next to me, stopping at an occasional store window to look inside. She was probably thinking about all the camping trips she had taken with her family and friends.

We continued walking to the Curtis' house, talking about our future and teasing each other. I didn't even notice the boys across the street from us.

"Hey!" One of them shouted while waving both arms. I registered that he had a blue checkered shirt on

"Just keep walking," I told the girls, hoping the boys would leave us alone.

"Hey!" He tried again.

We walked with our heads held high and our backs straight, but I knew we were all frightened. Angela's face was pale and her eyes were wide, ruining the front we were trying to put on. I unconsciously began chewing on my fingernail, a nervous habit of mine. I looked over at Rachel and she had a look of deep concentration on her face. I wondered if she was trying to remember some of her kickboxing lessons. I could see the Curtis' house at the end of the block.

The boys strolled across the street and walked directly behind us. Angela stiffened as one boy with many rings tried to get her attention by poking her back and whispering in her ear.

"We don't bite," another boy with dark hair said. He tried putting his arm around me.

"Please get off of me," I said while shrugging away from his arm.

I walked a little faster, cueing for the girls to do the same. My only hope was that we could lose them. No such luck.

"What are beautiful girls like you doing in such a trashy neighborhood?" The boy with the checkered shirt tried to grab Emily's hand. Emily stuck her hand in her pocket and shifted closer to us.

"What's your name sweet cheeks?" The boy with dark hair asked me. I ignored him and kept walking.

"I _said_ what's your name?" I picked up my pace even more, ready to make a break for it if I had to.

"Are you going to answer me?"

"No," I finally told him coldly. He suddenly grabbed me by my ponytail and yanked me backwards. Rachel tried to grab my arm in a futile attempt to wrench me free. He forced me to face him, holding me by my shoulders. I was vaguely aware of Angela screaming at him to let me go.

"When we ask you a question, you answer," He told me.

The boy was tracing his hands down my waist to the top of my skirt. He smelled spicy, almost like cinnamon, and I could feel the sweat on his hands. My skin prickled with fear, and my mouth was dry. I stomped on his foot desperately, hoping he would release me. He only held me tighter.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rachel and Emily attempting to fight off some of the other boys. Angela took this as a distraction to run to the Curtis' house.

"We're only nice to good little girls who do what they're told," The boy sneered while running his hands up my waist to my chest. I beat his chest, hoping yet again that he would let me go. I might as well have tickled him with a feather. He didn't let me go, or even acknowledge that I tried to hurt him. He was too busy cupping my breasts though my shirt. I tried backing away, but he grabbed my upper arms, leaving me defenseless.

I turned my head and saw Angela leading the Darry, Sodapop, Ponyboy, Two-Bit, and a boy I assumed was Steve over to where the other girls and I were struggling. The assaulters didn't seem to notice. I saw the greasers disperse and begin fighting off our captors.

"I'd let go of her if I were you," Sodapop elbowed the boy in the back.

Our attackers could finally tell that their plan of harassing us wasn't going to go as smoothly as they originally thought. Some of them began backing away.

"Let's get out of here, John," the boy with the rings told my attacker.

"This isn't over yet," John said as he shoved me to the ground. Then, he and his friends ran away.

"Are you okay?" Sodapop asked me while helping me up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied shakily. I massaged my lower back, trying to remove the feeling of that guy's hands on me.

"You girls really shouldn't be walking around by yourselves," Darry scolded us as we walked back to his house. His face was one of concern with lowered and a slight frown. I hung my head, ashamed that I hadn't been more careful. I could've gotten us killed. What if we hadn't been so close to the Curtis'? What would have become of us? Would John have gotten farther with his harassing?

When we reached the fence, Angela pulled me aside. I was sure I looked like I was going to cry.

"Jena, I know that look," She started firmly. I tried to turn away, but she pulled me to face her. "Listen to me. It wasn't your fault. I could've happened to anyone. We just all have to be more careful. It's okay." She hugged me and patted my back. I allowed her to lead me into the Curtis house. We rejoined Emily and Rachel, who were sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared out into the distance.

_Things could always be worse._


	8. Chapter 8

**As always, thanks to my beta writteninchocolate for helping me edit my story and make it presentable to you guys. I also want to give a special thanks to my friend A. for helping me through my writer's block for this chapter, being my constant muse, and of course dealing with me when I constantly email her with ideas and ask for her input. I couldn't do this without you guys!**

**Happy reading!**

**Jena POV**

"Dinner's ready!"

We entered the kitchen where Darry was struggling to carry three plates of chicken to the table. Ponyboy up from came behind Darry carrying a large bowl of mashed potatoes.

After he set the bowl down on the small table, Ponyboy ran his fingers through his copper hair. His eyes moved around the table, mentally calculating how to fit all of us around it.

"Maybe we should eat in the living room."

We all filled our plates and returned to the living room. Angela and I sat with our backs to the couch, and Rachel and Emily sat in front of the sliding glass doors. Darry sat in his overstuffed armchair. He balanced his plate on one knee and placed his cup on the end table. Steve and Sodapop sat together on the floor by the door to the kitchen. Ponyboy sat next to Rachel and Two-Bit sat next to Emily. Rachel shyly glanced at Ponyboy and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I've seen horses eat less food than you!" Two-Bit laughed. Emily playfully punched Two-Bit in the arm before returning to eating.

"Hey now, let's not get too rough," Two-Bit swatted at Emily's hand.

"Do you want that piece of chicken, Jena?" I shook my head and Rachel picked the drumstick off my plate.

"Jena, you have to eat _something_," Angela dangled my fork in front of my face. I grabbed the fork and absently took a bite of potatoes, not even tasting them.

"So, where are you girls from?" Sodapop was studying our faces with his captivating dark brown eyes.

I bit my lip, thinking about the best answer. Do I say that we're not from around here? Where should I say we live? I definitely can't say we're from the future; that would make us seem mental. After a minute of deliberating I decided to wing it.

"We just moved down from Chicago." I congratulated myself on my lack of stuttering, something that usually happens when I lie.

"And you don't have a place to live." It wasn't a question. Darry took a hard look at us, narrowing his eyes. "Where on earth are your parents?"

Angela glanced toward me. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was a tight line.

I shrank back against the couch, willing myself to think of something new quickly. My face was heating up, and I was sure I was blushing. I desperately looked around the room for inspiration. We couldn't afford to lose the greasers' trust.

I heard the screen door slam, and was immediately grateful for a couple more seconds to think up our cover story.

Two more greasers walked into the room. I knew instantly that the one with dark hair and a scar was Johnny, which meant that the greaser with the elvish face and white blond hair was Dally.

"What's with the chicks, Darry?" Dally grabbed a plate of food and leaned against the wall. He attempted to brush his long hair out of his eyes.

Angela's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink when she saw Johnny. I giggled, unable to keep my composure.

Angela's eyes swept up and down Johnny's form, narrowing slightly at his scar. After several seconds she smiled softly. I couldn't help but smile as well. I hadn't seen her smile at anyone since we found ourselves in the Curtis' living room that morning.

"We're still figuring that out," Darry rubbed his face.

I glanced back at Johnny, realizing I had found my inspiration. I only hoped I could pull this one off.

"If you want to know the truth, I guess I could tell you guys." I sighed, praying I could get away with this one. "We didn't exactly move out of Chicago. We ran away."

Angela stared at me, her mouth hanging open. Rachel paused with her chicken drumstick halfway into her mouth. Darry still looked skeptical, but he was listening at least.

"You see, Angela and I are sisters and our parents are alcoholics. We were sick of the abuse, so we planned to run away." I paused to enhance the drama. "Rachel's from a very devout Catholic family, but she doesn't agree with any of their beliefs. Emily's a foster child, and she was sick of the system. Since she's so old, not many people wanted to house her. We all decided to make a pact to run away together and find a new life. We had been hitchhiking for a week until now." I attempted to look like things were no big deal, but my heart was pounding inside my chest.

I turned to Angela, hoping she'd elaborate on my story, but she was staring at Johnny with glazed over eyes. I elbowed her, causing her to jump.

"Did I miss anything, Ang?"

"No. I think that was everything." I only hoped she actually heard what I said.

I looked to the greasers hoping I was more believable this time.

"You're a foster child?" Two-Bit softly asked wrapping his arm around Emily's shoulder. Emily took the cue from me and looked at him with huge puppy dog eyes and even nuzzled into his shoulder.

Nice touch Emily.

"Abuse huh?" There was no emotion in Dally's voice. I noticed his eyes shift from us to Johnny. I snuck a look at Johnny to see if he thought my story was real. If he found a hole in my story and didn't believe us, then we could kiss the greasers' help good-bye. Johnny's eyes grew even larger. I followed his gaze to Angela. Her eyes were wide and a bit watery. She was either freaking out that Johnny noticed her or putting on a convincing "abused teen" act.

"I'm sorry." Ponyboy murmured into Rachel's ear.

I couldn't help but feel awkward with all the flirting going on around me. In order to try to ignore it, I looked up at the clock on the wall. I was surprised to see how late it was getting.

"It's eleven o'clock, we should probably go," I stood up and prompted the girls to do the same.

Rachel raised her eyebrows and stayed rooted in her spot next to Ponyboy. "Go where, Jena? We don't have a home, and I sure don't want to spend my night on the streets."

"I'll think of something," I was trying to make my way towards the door, disregarding the fact that the girls weren't following me.

"Now wait a minute," Darry grabbed my arm as I tried walking past his chair. I looked at him, surprised. "It isn't a good idea for you girls to spend the night wandering alone in this neighborhood." He looked at me with his piercing blue eyes. "You're staying here."

I considered the idea. I didn't want to overstay my welcome, but I also wasn't itching to get jumped for the second time in one day. Then there was the fact that we were staying in a house full of hormone-driven teenaged boys. As much as I loved the greasers on paper, could I really trust them to leave us alone? Which would be safer, staying in a house with almost perfect strangers, or wandering in the streets after dark? After I thought about it that way, the choice was obvious.

"Okay. We'll stay, but only under a couple conditions. First we must stay in a room with a door we can lock."

"You can stay in my old room." This was the second time today that Sodapop did us a huge favor. First he covered for us and saved us from Darry's wrath. Now, he's offering up his room. He may just be my personal angel. I smiled at him gratefully.

"The second condition is that you let us pay you back when we get on our feet."

"That's fair enough." Darry let go of my arm and I returned to my spot on the floor next to Angela.

"Thanks." I finally said.

After everyone finished eating, the boys reached for the packs of cigarettes on the coffee table. Angela raised her eyebrows at me, but I merely shrugged.

"Where are our manners?" Two-Bit reached into his pack and came up with four cigarettes. He tried handing them to us, but we declined nervously.

"We don't smoke," Angela informed everyone awkwardly, waving her hands in front of her.

The younger greasers looked at each other with raised eyebrows, but Darry smiled appreciatively.

Ponyboy tried to break the awkward silence that permeated the room. "Tell us more about yourselves."

I coughed a little bit.

"What's there to tell?"

"Your names would make a good start," Steve was staring at us, making me a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm Jena. That's Angela. Rachel and Emily are over there." As I introduced each girl, she smiled and waved.

"What made you guys pick this town?" Ponyboy was studying our faces and I was beginning to feel like an animal in the zoo.

"As Jena said earlier, we hitchhiked our way down so we just had to go where the people driving us were going," I was relieved that Angela didn't mess up our story.

"What about you guys? Who are you?" Rachel gestured towards the gang. I was glad for Rachel's question. It would seem odd if I slipped and blurted out the gang's life stories when I'd only just met them.

"I'm Darry, and those two knuckleheads," Darry pointed at his brothers, "are my brothers Ponyboy and Sodapop." It seemed like he was loosening up. I only hoped that we could keep the trust we had earned.

"Two-Bit Mathews, at your service." Two-Bit bowed from his seated position and ended up somersaulting into the middle of the room, something hard to do on accident. Everybody froze for a brief second, but then we all howled with laughter.

"I'm Steve." He gave us a small half-smile, but quickly returned to his natural frown.

"I'm Dally and that's Johnny." Dally didn't even look at us when he introduced himself. Johnny, however, was gaping at us, Angela in particular, and blushed when I looked over at him.

"Nice to meet you guys." I said while simultaneously letting out a huge yawn. Emily was already nodding off with her head on Rachel's shoulder. Angela's eyes were half closed.

"Maybe we should let you girls get some sleep." Sodapop got up and led us to his room. "We have extra pillows and blankets in the closet and the bathroom is right next door. If you need anything else don't be afraid to ask."

We thanked him and quickly located our blankets.

"Wow! We sure are lucky!" Angela exclaimed.

"Yeah. We all got jobs, we didn't get killed by those socs, and now we even have decent sleeping arrangements for the night. I'm not sure if we could be luckier." Rachel repositioned herself on the floor and yawned.

As I laid on the carpet floor next to Angela, I couldn't help but wonder how much longer our luck would stay with us.


End file.
